So here’s a heartwarming story amidst all the tragedy from the recent Air India crash.
The family of one survivor is feeling incredibly grateful for his survival, even though sadly, his other brother didn’t make it. It’s a bittersweet situation, but they’re choosing to focus on the positive – that at least one member of their family made it out alive.
Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, and Viswash, 40, had been in India on a business trip before they boarded the doomed flight travelling from Ahmedabad to Gatwick on Thursday.
In what has been described as a miracle, Viswash – seated in 11A by the exit – survived, but his sibling who was sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J perished in the fireball explosion.
Devastatingly, injured Viswash has been begging from his hospital bed: ‘Find Ajay, you must find Ajay.’
Last night, relatives gathered at the family’s terraced home in Leicester to comfort the brothers’ mother who is said to be too grief-stricken to speak.
‘It’s a miracle at least one of them survived,’ younger brother Nayankumar Ramesh, 27, told us.
‘He said his plane had crashed and he couldn’t find anyone, we couldn’t believe it. There was blood running down his face.
‘You can see in the picture (in the Indian Press taken in hospital) that he has been injured. We’re flying out there tomorrow.’
Hours after the crash, Nayan said the family were desperate for news about what happened to Ajay, as his phone was still ringing out when they called it.
Air India later confirmed that 241 of the 242 people aboard flight AI171 died in the crash – meaning all hope of Ajay’s survival was dashed.
‘We’re so confused’, Nayankumar said before the news. ‘We’re hoping he’s survived and been taken to hospital as well.’
Asked how the family are wrestling with the tragedy of one brother surviving and the loss of the other, he gestured to his sobbing mother, Manibai Ramesh, behind him.
‘That’s your answer’, the brother said. ‘We’re just baffled, baffled.’
He added: ‘It’s a miracle at least one of them survived.’
In times like these, it’s important to cherish and hold on to the moments and people we have with us. This family is a true example of strength and resilience in the face of adversity. We are all sending them some love and positivity during this difficult time.
Flip to the next page for photos of the survivor and his dead brother…
